Anatoly Kvashnin
Encyclopedia
Ufa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
) was the Chief of the Russian General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (Russia)
The Chief of the General Staff is the chief of staff of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. He is appointed by the President of Russia, who is the commander-in-chief. The position dates to the period of the Russian Empire...
from 1997 to 2004, when he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
. Kvashnin graduated from the Kurgan Machine-building Institute in 1969 and served in the armed forces from this time. He began serving in the military as deputy commander of a tank company then moved on to hold various command and staff positions. He later attended the R.Y. Malinovsky Tank Academy graduating in 1976 and from the USSR armed Forces General Staff Military Academy in 1989. He holds a candidate degree in sociological sciences, a doctorate in military sciences and is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Science.
Kvashnin had previously served as commander of the North
Caucasus military district. As of 2007, he served as the President's Representative in the Siberian Federal District
Siberian Federal District
Siberian Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its population was 19,254,300 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
.
As Chief of the Russian General Staff he had some success in reforming the command structure for the strategic deterrent forces, but feuded with Defence Minister
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
Sergei Ivanov
Sergei Ivanov
Sergei Borisovich Ivanov is a Russian senior official and statesman. He was Minister of Defence from March 2001 to February 2007, Deputy Prime Minister from November 2005 to February 2007, and the First Deputy Prime Minister from February 2007 to May 2008...
and many of his subordinates. Kvashnin also proved to be indecisive at times, he split then merged the Volga-Urals Military District
Volga-Urals Military District
The Volga-Ural Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, formed on 1 September 2001 by the amalgamation of the Volga Military District and the Ural Military District. The headquarters of the Ural Military District, located at Yekaterinburg became the new headquarters...
, combined the Strategic Rocket Forces
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...
with the Russian Space Forces and the Early Warning System, then restored their independence.